Government could buy power stations to burn BSE waste

01 July 1997

Government could buy power stations to burn BSE waste

Agriculture minister Jack Cunningham announced at the Royal Show, in Stoneleigh,
Warwickshire, that the government is considering buying disused power stations
to burn waste material from slaughtered cattle. He said power companies had been
asking too much money to take on the job of burning the waste from cattle killed
to eradicate bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

The option is being considered as the cost of the BSE crisis approaches
£4bn. Ministers are concerned about the rising cost of transporting and
storing about 400,000 tonnes of bone-meal and tallow. They think some of the
storage costs can be recouped from the sale of electricity generated by burning
the disused material in government-owned or leased power stations.

The Environment Agency has concluded burning the waste at 850degC will be safe.